Living in the Spirit

November 18, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 93

The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
   the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
   your throne is established from of old;
   you are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
   the floods have lifted up their voice;
   the floods lift up their roaring.
More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
   more majestic than the waves of the sea,
   majestic on high is the Lord!

Your decrees are very sure;
   holiness befits your house,
   O Lord, forevermore.

Making order out of chaos was God’s first task in creation. Order out of chaos is what we need today. We have had floods on the east coast, hurricanes in the south, tornados in mid-America, and fires on the west coast causing chaos. COVID has also taken its toll across the world. At the root of much of our chaos are greed and self-righteousness. Climate change is connected to our unusual weather, which is predicted to get even worse if we do not take prudent steps to prevent it. Trimming our carbon footprint threatens major sources of wealth. We couple that with the attitude that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness exist without responsibility and forget our Pledge of Allegiance includes assuring justice for all.

Creation in the ancient Near East was often viewed as a battle between God and the forces of chaos– the sea or the waters of the deep. In this battle, God has proven victorious; so chaos is ordered, and the world is “established” as solid and immovable*.

The Psalm above tells us that chaos challenges us always, but we can take comfort in knowing that God is the victor over chaos. God, I am sure would appreciate some help and cooperation from us.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we are participants in the chaos of our world rather than practitioners of your order.  Amen.

*The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IV page 1054

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.